The attachment of bacteria to surfaces, sometimes referred to as biofilm formation, often occurs in two major steps. The first is an initial attachment of the bacteria to the surface and the second is a cell-to-cell proliferation to form multilayered bacterial clusters. The initial attachment of the bacteria to the surface is thought to be affected by surface roughness, surface charge, and hydrophobicity. Attachment of bacteria is undesirable on surfaces of devices that are intended to be placed in the body of an individual because of the risk of infection to the individual. Such devices include needles, tubes, implants, medical devices and the like. Attachment of bacteria is further undesirable on surfaces where materials or devices are prepared prior to insertion into an individual. Attachment of bacteria is also undesirable on surfaces where food preparation takes places, as food can become contaminated prior to ingestion. It is desirable to produce a surface where adherence and/or proliferation of bacteria is decreased thereby decreasing the risk of infection.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to create a surface characterized by at least one of surface roughness, surface charge and/or hydrophobicity where the ability of bacteria to adhere to the surface is decreased. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a substrate surface with a surface geometry on the nanometer scale. It is a further object of the present invention to alter the surface of a substrate in a manner to reduce bacterial adhesion and/or proliferation. These and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention or certain embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following disclosure and description of exemplary embodiments.